UH-Mānoa building RISEs to occasion, tapped as gold standard for sustainability

The Walter Dods Jr. RISE Center, located at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu, is setting the gold standard as the recipient of a Gold rating — the highest rating available — from the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system by the U.S. Green Building Council.

It is a $70 million innovation facility includes student housing, presenting new ways to connect, collaborate and innovate across a variety of disciplines in an integrated live-learn-work community.

“Achievement of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold marks a significant milestone for RISE Center,” said project lead Mike Lam, senior vice president of Hunt Companies Hawaiʻi. “Creation of a sustainable facility reflects the vision of the public-private partnership team, who were committed to developing a 21st century facility with a reduced carbon footprint that offers a healthy indoor environment for the students, educators and community members who use it every day.”

University of Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi Foundation and Hunt Companies Hawaiʻi developed the cutting-edge facility that features:

• More than 30% reduction in energy consumption by installing LED lighting, efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems and equipment, a 104-kilowatt photovoltaic system and a solar water heating system.
• More than 30% reduction in indoor water use because of low-flow fixtures and other water-efficient technologies.
• More than 75% of construction waste diverted from landfills through aggressive recycling and reuse.
• Low emission and/or non-toxic materials used throughout the design and construction process.

The project was evaluated on nine elements to be considered for the Gold rating, including indoor environmental quality, water efficiency, site sustainability, transportation, energy and atmosphere as well as materials and resources.

“Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design was created to make the world a better place and revolutionize our buildings and communities by providing everyone with access to healthy, green and high performing buildings,” said Peter Templeton, president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Green Building Council. “[The Walter Dods Jr. RISE Center] is a prime example of how the innovative work of project teams can create local solutions that contribute to making a global difference.”

The RISE Center opened in August 2023 to its first University of Hawaiʻi student-residents.

It successfully repurposed the landmark 1930s Charles Atherton House building into a state-of-the-art modern institutional facility flanked by two new 6-story student residential wings.

“This Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Gold certification underscores our commitment to environmental sustainability,” said John Han, vice president for administration and chief financial officer at University of Hawaiʻi Foundation. “[The] RISE [Center] was designed with the intent to have a smaller environmental footprint by reducing carbon emissions, enhancing energy efficiency and safeguarding the health and environment of the project’s surroundings.”

The RISE Center can house 374 students from all disciplines, who can explore their passions, solve complex problems, build prototypes, test their ideas and access resources.

Hunt Companies Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi and University of Hawaiʻi Foundation entered into a public-private partnership in 2019 to design, build and finance the RISE Center. It was the first public-private partnership for the university.

The facility has garnered local and national accolades, including the CoStar Group’s Redevelopment of the Year in its 2024 Impact Awards Hawaiʻi program, the Hawaiʻi section of the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Grand Overall Winner and Best Large Project at its 2024 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement Awards and NAIOP Hawaiʻi’s 27th annual Kukulu Hale Public/Government Project Award.

Set to follow in the RISE Center’s footsteps, the Hale Haukani graduate students and faculty housing facility will open this fall.

The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design raing system is the most widely used green-building rating system in the world. It sets a building apart as an international symbol of excellence.